Gun Holster Garter
by Blue Quartz Foxy
Summary: Contribution to KHR Het week. TYL setting "Uh…a garter…I keep my hand gun tucked inside the elastic band so it's on my thigh where I can reach it." "Oh, so you're not gonna show me?" the swordsman asked.


Gun Holster Garter

Notes: I went with a TYL setting, though post kids save the alternative future…if that makes any sense. Also took way too long to get around to the prompt. Anyway, please read and enjoy.

Also, there's a lot I want to explore with this ship and the TYL universe, so don't be surprised if this universe and more YamaChrome from me crops up now and again.

Disclaimer: All fictional characters, universe, original plot etc belong to Akira Amano.

Five years. No one knew where she disappeared to during that time. Then, once the danger passed; she returned. Quietly and without a hint as to where she had been before or where the woman might drift off to next.

Takeshi was surprised when Chrome wasn't lock-step behind Mukuro as he ventured away from the "reunion". Instead, Chrome lingered like the remains of a fog. Ghostly pale and thin as a vapor, she kept close while managing to say as little as possible thus maintaining a barrier.

Her smile stayed mechanical while she accepted greetings from the other Guardians, minus Hibari, and hugs from the women. He hated lying, yet uttered one nevertheless, "You look well."

The edges of her pseudo-grin cracked, but Chrome recovered by looking away, "So does Yamamoto-san" she muttered, returning the favor of a pretty little lie in exchange for another.

Takeshi never really thought of extending himself out to reach one person. After their return though, he wanted to make an effort to include Chrome. After all coaxing her from the background and including Chrome in conversations seemed only natural, she was one of the Guardians. And she would always be, with or without Mukuro.

After five years away, the Vongola Mist Guardian thought those around her to be strangers once again. Chrome had no clue where she stood. Now that Mukuro-sama was free and serving (albeit very reluctantly) the Vongola family, didn't this make her redundant?

The mountains of paperwork left to her, while everyone else went outside the manor and sometimes out of the country to complete assignments; did little to encourage Chrome. Did no one trust her anymore? Or did they all view her as an empty shell without Mukuro-sama?

Then, he came into her office wearing a grin so infectious Chrome was surprised to feel the corners of her mouth twitch, ready to return the expression before the woman caught on and schooled her expression. Yamamoto planted palms down on her desk, a giant among the towers of papers.

"Guess who's going to Madrid with me for an assignment."

"…Gokudera-san?" His answer was a simple denial. "Nope, try again." Chrome frowned, thinking it over, before she could come up with an answer, the young woman jumped a little at the hand gently resting on her right shoulder.

"You'd better start packing. We've got a flight early in the morning." And he left her office. Left behind with her stacks of papers, Chrome blinked and wondered why Yamamoto-san would want her to go on a job with him.

Chrome still didn't know what was expected of her when they arrived at the air port together and he refused her offer to use illusions to hide his bamboo sword.

"Won't airport security ask you questions for having it out in the open?" Chrome inquired.

Yamamoto laughed in response, "Sometimes they do. Other times they leave me be. I'm sure it's a hassle for them, but you see…" Chrome jumped as an arm casually went around her shoulders. She knew Yamamoto did this with the other Guardians even Hibari-san got the 'touchy' treatment sometimes. Perhaps to him touching was a sign of friendship; however Chrome couldn't force herself to feel comfortable. The woman jerked and quickly side stepped to put distance between them. He looked at her for a moment before lowering his arm.

Yamamoto awkwardly cleared his throat before talking again. As if nothing had happened. "I'm sure it bugs airport security, but I kind of get a kick out of seeing people's reactions. It's harmless really."

"Isn't it dangerous though? To draw attention to yourself while on a mission?" Chrome asked, awkwardness momentarily forgotten in the wake of curiosity. They had never worked together before, because prior to her disappearance Chrome found herself to be Ryohei or Gokudera's back up, so the young woman wondered why he was so up beat before a job.

"Hm, maybe. But, I've got to get my kicks somewhere" he said simply. Chrome knew she shouldn't be concerned. Yamamoto was beyond capable, yet at the same time his casual attitude bothered her a little. After all they were going to flush out and subdue factions of the Millefiore family; they weren't people to be messed with even without their leader.

"Voooiiii! About time you guys showed up!" a boisterous voice rose up, echoing off the walls of the abandoned building. A slender man with long silver hair and a leather outfit stared down at the intruding Vongola Guardians.

"Sorry for being late. We really don't have the luxury of private planes and helicopters though. Right, Chrome?" Takeshi said, hands in his pockets and sword sheathed, the strap slung over his back.

The Mist Guardian blinked, finally giving Takeshi her full attention since after their plane landed. He started to suspect all of his talking annoyed her, but Takeshi found it difficult to be quiet. Besides, Chrome wasn't going to open up, so he needed to do something to get the woman to react.

"Come to think of it…the Varia do have nice toys. Nicer than what we have anyway." Chrome replied. It did seem strange since the main Vongola family should outrank the Varia.

The white haired man accompanying them bristled with indigence before pointing a sword at the woman and Takeshi, "Oi! We're an ASSASINATION SQUAD! We NEED those 'nice toys'. You fake Vongola would probably squander or wreck anything you're given."

"He's rather loud for an assassination squad leader." Chrome observed honestly and without intending to be funny, but Takeshi seemed to find the irony amusing nevertheless.

"Stop your snickering." Squalo snapped, reluctantly putting his sword away before turning to lead them up to the upper level.

"This will be headquarters for the stake out. Our targets won't start their meeting for a few hours. I've got my subordinates set up to rush in after you guys screw up and need us to save your asses." Squalo explained.

Chrome frowned at the implication and lack of faith, but Takeshi wasn't bothered at all. "Right, right. We get it Varia rules, tenth Vongola family sucks. You never get tired of reminding us though" he said, still sounding cheerful.

In hopes to pass the hours away, Takeshi brought out a deck of cards but it seemed to annoy not only Squalo but also the quiet young woman, so he wound up playing more games of solitaire than he wanted to count up.

'Maybe this wasn't a good idea.' Takeshi reconsidered. Or maybe he was trying too hard to befriend her. That's when he pulled out a Box Weapon.

Chrome blinked, turning away from the window because she saw a brief flash of blue from the corner of her left eye. The young woman was nearly knocked back by a large puppy.

"Figured Jirou might need to run around some before we fight. He's still a puppy so he's very energetic…" Yamamoto stopped explaining because Chrome was quick to take to the Akita even without him having to go into detail.

The young woman squatted down on the floor, hands brushing the tan-white fur of the Box Animal while the dog panted and twitched his curly tail in delight. "He's so cute, when did you get him?" Chrome asked, looking up.

"Actually, Jirou is sort of a souvenir from my younger self since he's the one who opened the Vongola Rain box for the first time. I got the customized Vongola box a day after my father…" Realizing he was getting too personal, Takeshi cleared his throat, "I really didn't have a chance to test it out before the kids came to our time."

Chrome's glance lingered a bit longer than normal before she softly said, "I see." The woman stood up, smoothing wrinkles out of her slacks, only to jerk back a little since Jirou wanted her attention and got it by putting his heavy paws on her kneecaps.

"Sorry about that, he doesn't know any strangers so I guess you're his new favorite."

"Ah…very much like Yamamoto-san then. He suits you." Chrome remarked while ruffling the puppy's ear affectionately, giving Takeshi some hope that the ice was finally breaking.

"You think so, huh. So you're saying I'm a dog, Chrome?"

The young woman blushed, "N-no not at all! Yamamoto-san is just…friendly."

Squalo suddenly interrupted them, "Oh for the love God! Shut up or I'll slaughter you both! …makes me sick…" he grumbled.

"Stay still for a moment, Yamamoto-san."

Quite an odd request considering they just broke into a building and were greeted by people with loaded guns.

"Uh…okay…" he began, looking uncertain as the woman stared intently at him for two whole minutes as they were crouched low behind a crate.

"Thank you, that's all I need." Chrome said before getting to her feet and venturing out before him.

"Hey! Wait…" Takeshi stopped mid-step as he saw Chrome was no longer in front of the crate. Rather an exact copy of himself had already charged in with the first offensive style. One of Chrome's real-illusions…

"Better get a move on Yamamoto-san." Chrome said, suddenly standing beside him once again.

"Oh, right." Takeshi removed his sword from the back sheath, "Wish me luck?" he asked with a grin.

Chrome was dumbfounded for a moment. This really wasn't the time to be looking so carefree and gleeful.

"You really don't need it…" she started to say, but thought about it. With a nod, Chrome picked up her trident, "Good luck"

He took off running, all levity gone from his expression. Chrome was now the one stuck in a moment, because with the sword in his hand it seemed like Yamamoto-san was almost a completely different person. Serious. Deadly.

She shuddered before joining the fray. 'Reborn-san wasn't kidding when he said Yamamoto-san has hit man instincts' the Mist Guardian thought as she locked her trident prongs with one of the leftovers of Millefiore, knocking the gun clean out of his grasp before trapping him in an illusionary pillar of fire. Once her target was screaming about the 'burns' and how he couldn't breath, Chrome turned and saw Yamamoto –the real one- slice cleanly to another man's shoulder.

Takeshi hoped for nothing and expected little to come from his efforts. Chrome had a lifetime of walls built around her, so the Mist woman was slow to trust and even less inclined to open up to anyone.

So, her comment left him speechless for a moment. "Yamamoto-san has many friends, but I wonder how many people actually know you."

He searched for something to say, settled for his usual nature of a smile coupled with a puzzled expression, "Come again?" he asked before moving his glass forward on the hotel bar counter for another pour.

"Outwardly you're so friendly. Kind. Open…honest. You are your own person."

Takeshi wasn't so sure about that last one. 'A natural born hit man' the baby had always called him. Takeshi couldn't help but wonder just what he had to exchange for all those 'instincts'.

Chrome gathered condensation droplets, from her glass of ice cubes and seltzer water, onto slender finger tips. "Yet, there are times I look and you seem…not sad I would say…contemplative and distant, I suppose."

"Sometimes, I think you're the last person I can ever hope of reaching."

Takeshi squirmed a little and reminded himself Chrome did not equal Mukuro. They were separate people, yet it still bothered him how closely she was observing him.

"Stalking is illegal, Chrome" he said lightly, hoping to change the subject. The woman blinked in response, "Is it 'stalking' when I'm right beside you most of the time?"

"Hm, is that so? Guess you've got a point there" he returned. Their first assignment together had gone over very well. So after a few more requests from the swordsman to be teamed with Chrome, Tsuna made it so they were often paired together without being asked.

For having little to no expectations, Takeshi was pleased to see Chrome coming to herself. She'd never be her 'old self' again. On the other hand, what little he knew of the woman's past she had a lot of old-selves.

She might not appreciate the comparison, but Takeshi sometimes thought of Chrome's constant deconstruction and rebuilding similar to his Shigure Soen Ryu. A pattern of extinction and evolution, the portion lost replaced by something else until flaw and perfection existed side by side to create something new.

Chrome did not expect a working partnership to last this long. She watched the other Guardians rotate and intermingle; even she and Yamamoto were separated from time to time. However, when their assignments didn't always align he made it a point to wish her good luck or welcome Chrome back.

She tried to tell herself it didn't mean a thing. Yamamoto…Takeshi, he had given her permission to call him by first name; was simply friendly. He would do the same for the others. Above all else, Chrome dreaded the thought of putting him on a pedestal like with Mukuro-sama.

Yet, her heart turned traitor as Chrome not only anticipated his greetings or farewells, but felt disappointed the few times they missed one another and the exchange of words couldn't happen.

The final straw was at a formal dinner. Chrome's cheeks flushed red when Takeshi complimented her dress. I Pin noticed the exchange. Instantly the teenager was by Chrome's side and asked if she and the Rain Guardian were dating. Frozen for a moment, Chrome felt her chest become tight, head swimming and wanted nothing more than hide. Crawl back in her shell and shut off from people.

She didn't want the seed planted, either by herself or a third party. Takeshi, as much as she valued their friendship; could never become significant. She refused to see it happen. Chrome had already decided, after Mukuro-sama left her behind; there would be no one else.

There would be no 'replacement'. She didn't want to be a hollow vessel for someone to come along and fill with whatever they desired to see within her. So Chrome used the Mist's talent for creating lies out of truth by denying those budding feelings. First to I-Pin and turned those words on herself.

"It's for the best." Chrome told her reflection later that evening as she gingerly removed the dress- the one he said looked nice- folded it up in a box and placed inside the closet: never to see the light of day again.

Fear was always in the back of his mind. A good dose of nerves to remind himself all of this was more than just a game. He had nearly died once before and Takeshi knew miracles don't come around twice.

Hands slick with blood, Takeshi attempted to keep a strong grip on his sword. The style he inherited was invincible against any other sword style. Bullets on the other hand…not so much.

She looked at him with such horror, Takeshi couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't already dead and this was just him dreaming before moving on to the next life.

"No…" Chrome started to say. When he staggered to move forward anyway, the woman ran a couple steps ahead of him, arms out like a human barrier.

"No!" she repeated. "You can't…I won't let you, Takeshi." He must have sounded like an idiot, considering the dire circumstances, however Takeshi couldn't let Chrome stop him either. "I'm okay, Chrome. Let me take them down."

He had little choice in the matter though when she summoned two extra bodies- real illusion versions of Ryohei-senpai that were just as physically strong as the original- to all but drag him out of the warehouse.

Before the door closed, Takeshi caught a glimpse of Chrome being enveloped in mist, a dark claw-like illusion coming out and encircling her: Cortina Nebbia. If anyone managed to break through her barrier, Chrome would die.

Takeshi struggled against the illusions in vain. His shoulder and the bullet wound could give him as much hell as it wanted later, but he was determined to reach her. The last thing Takeshi wanted was for her to die to protect him.

The moment the warehouse door closed and could no longer see Chrome, Takeshi felt overwhelmed with fear. Not of dying. He had been there once before, yet didn't wish to return either. Rather Takeshi was paralyzed at the thought of never seeing her again.

Rooted to the asphalt, Takeshi wasn't aware the fake twin 'Ryohei' had vanished until the real one came up and told him to sit still so he could try to heal what he could.

Gokudera and Lambo were several steps behind him and they entered the warehouse. The door swung open to flashes of gunfire in the darkness and shouts. Takeshi pushed and struggled to his feet just as Gokudera emerged, supporting most of Chrome's weight. She was alive, looking straight ahead to him.

Relief was short lived though because Takeshi felt horrified when she smiled at him. She was so proud of herself for protecting him, yet in his mind Chrome would have died for nothing.

Chrome noticed he wasn't returning her grin, so the expression quietly receded.

Fear was an emotion Chrome tried to detach herself from as much as possible. She had nearly died several times before and Mukuro-sama said the afterlife was only a cycle of death and rebirth. So, she had nothing to worry about.

Besides, an illusionist had to both believe wholeheartedly in everything and at the same time suspend their belief in anything. The mind, heart, and five senses could be tricked so easily, thus one had to shut off emotions when engaged in a fight.

It wasn't until a day after Chrome realized her near fatal mistake. She saw Takeshi's bleeding shoulder, hands slipping on the grip to his sword and the pained look in his face. She observed and empathized. And thus fear formulated.

So, she acted irrationally in order to protect Takeshi. Chrome thought she had done the right thing because once the door closed behind her and the barrier secure, the young woman was ready to use her illusions for what they were designed for: to protect by shrouding true intentions in lies.

When Gokudera and Lambo rescued her, Chrome felt so relieved to be alive. She was glad to see Takeshi being tended to by Ryohei-san, but something felt wrong because the Rain Guardian wouldn't look at her.

'Did I do something wrong?' Chrome asked herself only to realize it later on. Her mistake was caring for another person over her own life.

He wasn't angry. Yet, disappointed didn't quite cover how Takeshi felt about this situation either. Chrome sensed something was off between them, thus she pulled back from him. They circled each other for weeks, waiting for the other to say something. Anything at this point…

The chance came during yet another mission, a month after the warehouse incident. Takeshi's right arm remained in a sling, so their task was a simple intelligence gathering mission.

Despite boarding the same plane and having seats side by side, they barely exchanged three words, a much different and heavier atmosphere than previous jobs together. The flight and taxi ride to the hotel was dead quiet and it felt like a given they'd go to their separate rooms in silence too.

However, Chrome became the first to speak up after the elevator doors closed in front of them.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" he replied, honestly confused as to what Chrome had done to warrant forgiveness.

Chrome bit her bottom lip, looking for a moment to her reflection on the silver-metal doors.

"I…lost myself at the warehouse. For a moment, I wanted nothing more than to protect you. I'm still…not sure why you were angry at me about it."

"Angry? Who said I was angry?" Takeshi asked. He didn't think he was mad. No. Not over Chrome saving his life.

Chrome turned so the good eye faced him, "You haven't been yourself around me since then. So, obviously my behavior…troubled you."

Since he could no longer hide it, Takeshi nodded solemnly. "Don't think I'm ungrateful, Chrome. I'm glad you thought enough to step in, but in the future…"

The doors to the elevator opened with a ding, opening to the floor where Takeshi's room was. He gave a gentle nudge to the 'close' button, not about to leave this overdue conversation unfinished.

"Don't use the Cortina Nebbia ever again, for any reason."

Chrome wasn't angry. Yet, she couldn't simply accept the order either. The doors to the elevator tried to open again, but this time she pressed them closed.

"I will use whatever I have to protect you, Boss, or anyone in the Vongola family" Chrome stated, face burning hot since she felt insulted. While his intentions were good, Takeshi didn't understand. Cortina Nebbia was her trump. He was talented with a sword and could play offense or defensive roles, switching from either or at the drop of a hat. All Chrome had on her side was mind tricks.

Takeshi was talented and things came easy to him, whereas she was limited and struggled to keep up with everyone else. Even if it was a suicide pact waiting to happen, Chrome wouldn't give up the most powerful weapons in her arsenal.

Another ding, but the doors stayed open this time.

"You shouldn't be so quick to want to die. Not after coming this far." Takeshi said, for the first time taking a stern tone with Chrome.

"I'm not." Chrome assured. "I can't promise never to use Cortina Nebbia again, but I will promise this to you. I won't use it wastefully. It will remain a last resort weapon."

In between flushing out what remained of the formerly notorious Millefiore and business as usual, there was a wedding to prepare for. On the day of the ceremony, Takeshi stared at his bedroom mirror.

"Best man…at a mafia wedding in Italy" he said to his reflection, wondering a little how his dad would have reacted had he known.

A gentle knock on his front door took the Rain Guardian away from contemplation. "Come in" he called out while grabbing the sheathed sword from the closet. Hopefully no one would dare think of messing with Tsuna and Kyoko's big day, however Takeshi learned a long time ago that nothing was 'simple' or sacred when it came to the mafia. So, the sword was coming with him even if it made the guests feel a little uncomfortable to see him tote it around.

Takeshi turned to the door and nearly walked right into Chrome in the process. The young woman smiled, "Sorry for intruding. Everyone's waiting though…minus the bride and groom of course."

"Right, let's go." Takeshi followed the indigo-haired woman's lead out of his personal rooms and out into the hall.

While adjusting the strap of his sword, Takeshi found his gaze drifting to Chrome, namely her backless dress. He quickly tried looking further up to more innocent locations- like her hair and earrings- but despite conscious efforts Takeshi found himself looking to the curve of her back.

Clearing his throat, he caught up to walk beside her, "I'm having second thoughts about being best man."

"Oh?" Chrome returned, "You did well during the ceremony." The man shrugged, "Not very demanding to hand over the rings. The speech is what's giving me trouble. I have no clue as to what to say"

"Hm, if it's that's a problem, Gokudera-san would be more than glad to step in."

"Well yeah, but I don't want to disappoint everyone." A small smile appeared on Chrome's lips, "You never disappoint. I…um…a word of advice though. Try not to stand out too much today."

Brown eyes blinked slowly, "Why?"

Chrome blushed, reluctant to spit out what was on her mind. After a moment, she confessed, "Takeshi-san is very handsome and…a lot of women will be there."

"…yeah. There'll be a lot of people at the reception." He was about to add 'what of it', but Chrome was surprisingly forthcoming. Well, 'forthcoming' in terms of her nature.

"Just don't be surprised if you get a lot of…attention, tonight."

"You're being cryptic again." Takeshi pointed out, "Words are your friend Chrome," he reached over to mess up her hair, only to remember Haru already squawked at him earlier that morning for doing the exact same thing before the wedding march; so Takeshi allowed the right arm to fall back at his side.

They walked up to the doors to the reception hall, Chrome reaching to pull it open only to have it being pushed in their direction. A tall man dressed in a suit and wearing a long coat over his shoulders peered out into the hallway, his mis-matched eyes first going to Takeshi before staring down at Chrome.

Takeshi noticed the change in Chrome the moment she and Mukuro locked gazes. Color drained from her face and visible eye grew wide as she took a little step backward.

The other illusionist smirked, "Good to see you again Chrome."

She panicked. A stupid and impulsive reaction considering Mukuro-sama knew her better than anyone else, yet Chrome took a few steps back from the door and Takeshi before turning around and running.

By the time she was out of sight of both, the woman felt needlessly cowardly. Chrome's thought her only saving grace was she had made that scene outside of the reaction hall, which was a good thing since she didn't want anything to disrupt Boss's big day.

Pacing the length of the hallway, on the far side of the mansion and out of reach of the party, Chrome debated going into the reception or staying outside, on one hand she was neglecting her duty as a Guardian for not being there to protect the Boss and his bride. On the other hand, she didn't want to go back.

Calculating the last time she had seen Mukuro in person, the days added up to nearly a year. It came as a bit of a shock to the young woman to realize she hadn't even missed him all that time. Mukuro had been her constant –and sometimes only- companion for years, yet currently she felt nothing but apprehension towards him.

Chrome wasn't sure what she was afraid of at this point. It wasn't Mukuro she was scared of. He and his plans to bring down the mafia seemed distant and removed from her and the Vongola. Nor was it the possibility of him possessing her again put fear in Chrome. Mukuro had his own body and free will to come and go as he liked.

"He doesn't need me anymore…" she said aloud, realization dawning. Yes. That was it. She was no longer his vessel.

Chrome stopped pacing, leaning against the wall while trying to collect herself. The young woman suddenly jerked as cool glass pressed against a right cheek.

"Oh good, you're still awake. Here" a familiar voice said from her blind side. Chrome turned to face Takeshi who was holding out a champagne glass.

"Takeshi? Why aren't you at the reception?" she asked.

"Hm," the Rain Guardian considered her question. "Well I gave up thinking of a speech, told Gokudera he can have it…of course he had crib notes a plenty and more than happy to take over. And since Ryohei-senpai and Lambo have security covered, I didn't see a need to stick around."

Chrome wanted to believe most of what Takeshi said. She didn't want to think he missed out on a party just to find her. No. That'd be too hopeful and stupid. Still, she accepted the champagne glass, noticing he had one as well but it was mostly empty.

"You weren't kidding about the 'attention' either." Takeshi informed her. Chrome's eyebrows rose up, but couldn't verbally respond while taking a drink.

"Is there something about weddings that put female hormones into hyper drive?" he inquired, "Because the nice girls wanted to talk, talk and talk and seemed to follow me everywhere. And the flirty ones…thought my ass made for a good hand rest."

Chrome chuckled, just picturing Takeshi trying to be as polite and nice as possible while some woman attempted to grope him.

"I'm sure it was…" she coughed to clear her airways of champagne, "very traumatic for you."

"You have no idea." Takeshi said, grinning though despite telling Chrome his tale of woe. "If you don't mind, I'll hide with you until the coast is clear."

Chrome lowered her glass, "I'm not hiding." "You don't say." Takeshi mused, hands resting behind his head as the man leaned on the wall next to Chrome.

The female Mist Guardian swallowed thickly, "I shouldn't be so cowardly, but…" she glanced up, turning a little to her right to properly look at Takeshi.

"When I saw him…the first thing that went through my mind was 'Thank goodness. If I go with Mukuro-sama, I don't have to be alone anymore.'" Chrome admitted, because deep down she had felt Mukuro's absence, she just choose to ignore it.

"But, then I panicked because even if Mukuro-sama needed me again I don't think I can ever been an equal in his eyes. He knows…everything about me, yet the last thing I want is to return to the life I had before."

The empty glass was eased out of her grasp by Takeshi's hand, and then placed besides his on the carpet. Chrome continued to stare at a place on the opposite wall though.

"I honestly don't know what I'm afraid of. All I know is that I'm terrified of going back to the way things were with Mukuro-sama."

When Takeshi didn't respond right away or offer any sort of advice, Chrome decided it was time to either walk away or change the subject. This was suppose to be a happy celebration and she felt like all this talking of her 'issues' was only pulling Takeshi down.

"I guess…it seems easier to have someone there to make your decisions for you." Chrome tilted her head to observe the swordsman.

"You have no idea…" Chrome replied, trying to smile while turning Takeshi's words back to him. "No one even asked me if I wanted to join the Vongola family. Iemitsu-san let Mukuro-sama do all the talking for both of us."

"But you didn't refuse either." Takeshi interjected. Chrome's first reaction was to bristle and say he didn't know her back then. Only to rethink her words, 'He's right. I never once said 'no' or denied Mukuro-sama anything.'

"Kind of different for me, for a little while I thought it was all some big game Tsuna and Gokudera were playing. Don't look at me like that, it's the truth!" Takeshi said when Chrome looked a touch shell-shocked.

"I've lost some respect for you…Takeshi-san."

"Ouch" he returned with a laugh. "And here I thought we were going to have a heart-to-heart about our experiences at being mafia members in training. But, no you take the opportunity to mop the floor with my ego."

Chrome realized they were drifting away from the topic of her and Mukuro-sama, but didn't mind it too much. As for herself, Chrome knew she wasn't ready to confront her former master again; so she and Takeshi hid together in the halls of the Vongola manor.

"Are Takeshi-nii and Chrome-san sleeping together?"

Gokudera nearly slammed the car into the sidewalk lamppost from how hard he put on the breaks, "What? Don't be stupid" he snarled around a lit cigarette.

"Well…" the teenager scratched the back of his head, "I've been thinking…"

The Tenth's right hand man snorted, "Right. You? Thinking? Good one."

"No, seriously! They're always together. And they got picked to go to undercover in Paris together. Again."

Gokudera was silent for a moment before shaking his head, dismissing the thought "Just because they work together all the time doesn't mean they're having sex."

"Yeah, but…"

"I'm curious about something, Chrome."

Chrome paused in putting her hair up in a bun, the stick meant to hold the 'mess' of indigo tendrils in between her teeth as she turned away from the mirror to face Takeshi.

"Where do you keep your gun?"

The Mist Guardian held up an index finger to indicate he needed to wait a moment for her answer. Once her hair was arranged how she wanted it, Chrome remove the hair pin from between her lips and slid it to hold up the bun.

"On my right thigh, just like everyone else…" she replied as the start of a blush appeared along her cheeks. They had been working together as partners, off and on; for almost a year now yet Chrome was still adjusting to how frank and inquisitive Takeshi was.

"No I mean when you're dressed up. I can see the gun holster when you're wearing slacks."

"Same place." Chrome intoned. She watched Takeshi tilt his head, causing her to blush a little under his scrutiny. "Uh…a garter…I keep my hand gun tucked inside the elastic band so it's on my thigh where I can reach it, while not being outwardly visible."

"Oh…" the swordsman replied, then smirked, "You're not gonna show me?" Takeshi teased. Chrome's blush intensified but didn't respond right away.

"Maybe I will…someday" the female Mist added.

"Ah, it was just a joke Chrome, you don't have to."

"Meaning you're no longer interested?" she asked. Takeshi found himself in a very odd predicament. If he said 'yes I'm interested' he'd sound like a pervert. If he said 'no, not really' when he really wasn't sure what his answer was…

The swordsman shook his head, feeling very confused.

"I was joking." Chrome said blandly.

Relieved, Takeshi grinned "We need to work on your timing and delivery then. Otherwise people will think you're seriously flirting with them."

'But I was serious…kind of.' Chrome thought, fighting down a blush. Obviously, he wasn't interested.

'Maybe, it's better this way' the female Mist Guardian mused. After all they were partners…friends. She didn't want to mess with bond between them just because there might be more to unearth.

"Ready to go?" he asked sword strapped to his back. "One moment" the woman approached and disguised the sword with an illusion so it appeared as if the weapon wasn't even there.

"Our mission is simply to gather information. We're supposed to be a normal couple having a casual dinner. No visible weapons." Chrome reminded.

"Oh right, almost forgot." Takeshi realized then put his arm around the small woman's shoulders. "What would I do without you, hm?"

The blush she had been fighting to control overpowered Chrome's will. She wanted to stay as neutral as possible to his touch. Takeshi was simply friendly, so it shouldn't mean a thing. Yet for all her denial, it did mean something to her.

"You'd probably be dead by now." Chrome considered.

"There you go with your dry humor again" he said as they left the hotel room together.

Notes: Not quite as romantic as I wanted it to be, but hopefully this is satisfactory for the request. There are a lot of characters and relationship nuisances that I glossed over, hopefully some day I can go back and give this the proper attention it deserves. Thanks for reading.


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